Articles

One of the structural problems of Brazilian society is the excessive growth of the urban footprint, commonly referred to as "urban sprawl," which results in low-density urban occupation. This dispersed footprint complicates the provision of public services and compromises residents' quality of life, as it fails to generate sufficient demand for mass transit and encourages the use of private automobiles for commuting. To reverse this trend, urban policy seeks to increase the density of the existing city, whether by constructing new buildings on vacant lots or by rehabilitating degraded buildings in central areas. However, as currently designed, housing policy actually encourages urban sprawl.

The relationships between the waters and the diverse lives that inhabit the Amazon. This is the starting point for the first Bienal das Amazônias, which brings together 120 artists from all the countries spanning the territory of the world's largest rainforest. Under the title “Bubuia: Waters as a Source of Imaginations and Desires,” the exhibition is curated by Keyna Eleison and Vânia Leal, with the collaboration of Sandra Benites and Flávia Mutran in the project's conceptualization, and is currently on view in Belém. The exhibition took shape in a building remodeled specifically to host it, and its exhibition design maintains a constant dialogue with the materials and cultures of the region. We spoke with architect Juliana Godoy, who was responsible for the exhibition design, to understand how Amazonian subjectivities were translated and conceptualized within the spatial realm.

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Reflecting on landscape, typology, and technology, the architecture firm Balsa Crosetto Piazzi designed this shared bathroom module for dairy farmers living a few kilometers outside the town of Ausonia in the province of Córdoba, Argentina.

Through talks, anecdotes, gatherings, and visits, the 28th edition of the Latin American Encounter of Students of Architecture (ELEA), held in San Juan, Argentina, set out to address diverse themes surrounding resilience, new technologies, the circular economy, and sustainability, aiming to foster a shared community of ideas, knowledge, and experiences through collaborative, participatory work.

Throughout her career as an architect, Fernanda Canales has shown a specific interest in studying the housing phenomenon in Mexico. This focus is reflected in her various research projects and publications, which aim to address this issue on a global scale. As she explains regarding this project: "With millions of vacant homes in the world and millions of people without housing, architecture has the potential to offer alternatives to segregation: it can undoubtedly offer more, for more people." In this vein, Canales presents "A HOUSE FOR MORE," a workshop and installation at the VDL House designed to question underutilized residential spaces and integrate diverse collective programs into the places we inhabit.

The 2023 Guatemala Architecture Biennial brings to the forefront the need to build a city without walls, integrating public spaces that foster a sense of belonging, unity, and identity. In this interview, the Biennial's general coordinator, Esteban Borjes Castillo, discusses the significance of this year's edition.

Through exhibitions, the interior spaces of museums construct narratives that lend logic and meaning—which might otherwise not exist—to the objects on display. Indeed, the resources utilized in an exhibition are capable of shaping meaning by establishing connections not only among the displayed pieces, but also between the exhibition design and the artwork itself.

Videos

Bricklayers, foremen, steel fixers, carpenters, plumbers, painters, electricians, and welders. A wide range of professionals is required to erect a building and bring the designs of architects and engineers to life. Essential to ensuring the quality of every project, these roles are honored today, October 26th, on Construction Worker Day. To mark the occasion, we highlight the wisdom of these professionals and how they share their expertise with the public—both professionals and laypeople—through video tutorials that offer a deeper understanding of the construction site, the materials and equipment used, the various techniques available, and how to approach building. 

The Netherlands, colloquially referred to as Holland, is synonymous with its bicycles, an iconic element of the country's urban landscape. The integration of cyclists and motor vehicles often surprises visitors.

The Dutch connection to bicycles is clear in the statistics: in 2021, 84% of the Dutch population used bicycles daily. In Amsterdam, this figure reaches around 63%, demonstrating a strong preference for the vehicle. In contrast, only 7% of Brazilians choose the bicycle as their primary mode of transportation.

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No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who also runs the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to profile the professionals, projects, and stories behind landmark contemporary Portuguese architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a highly compelling country within this professional field, and its architectural output far exceeds what its population and territorial scale would suggest.

In this episode of the sixth season, Sara talks with architect and curator Pedro Gadanho about the exhibition Generation Proxima: Emerging Environmental Practices in Portuguese Architecture. Listen to the conversation and read part of the interview below.

After at least five years of countless sketches, drawings, models, readings, and calculations, the time comes for Architecture and Urbanism students to present their final graduation projects—often referred to as TCC, TFG, or Final Graduation Projects. In choosing their topics, students highlight architectural, urban, or theoretical projects. Beyond demonstrating readiness for graduation, these works play a crucial role in sparking debate about the future of our cities, the built environment, urban infrastructure, mobility, and many other fundamental topics regarding how we inhabit space.

UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is tasked with addressing housing and sustainable urban development issues worldwide. It plays a key role in tackling global urban challenges, working to improve quality of life, confront issues like rapid urbanization and housing shortages, and promote urban planning practices that are more socially inclusive and environmentally responsible. In 2022, it launched the project "Urban Connections - Public Space Planning for Inclusive Communities," a major initiative of the organization aimed at strengthening local governments through participatory urban planning and public space design.

As part of an initiative by a group of young people who make up Patio Efímero, early in 2023 the open call was launched for the "Patio 4 Competition: Meeting of Ephemeral Interventions" in collaboration with the National System of Art Creators of the Federal Ministry of Culture, CREST EVOCA, El Parral Departamentos, and the Management of the Historic Center and Cultural Heritage of the Municipality of Puebla. The invitation was extended to plastic, graphic, visual, and multidisciplinary artists, as well as established and emerging architects, to participate in the fourth edition of Patio Efímero.

“Every problem can be solved with technology.”

How accurate (or not) does that statement sound? While writing this article, my digital text editor flagged the opening words of this very sentence, suggesting an incorrect grammar fix. It was wrong; the sentence was perfectly correct.

In times of pandemics, such as the one we currently face with COVID-19, quarantine is a vital measure to mitigate risks to the public and prevent overloading the healthcare system. During these periods of confinement, it is common to reassess our habits and question the way we live. As architects, one of our profession's key challenges is to design spaces that satisfy basic human needs while also catering to individual specificities, ensuring that homes can accommodate everything required for daily life for an indefinite period.

Although construction is primarily based on technical principles, which at first glance seem to follow only pre-established designs and specifications, there is a deeper dimension related to the nature and essence of the materials used. These materials do not only perform a utilitarian function; they also transcend their mere purpose, evoking the notion put forward by Pablo Neruda: "There is a rigor in materials that limits excessive whim and the struggle to infuse them with humanity."

Among the range of existing materials, there is perhaps none as universal as brick. Its versatility and aesthetic honesty have made it a widely used resource in the construction of diverse spaces worldwide. Within Chilean architecture, the broad possibilities this material offers have been highlighted, having been exceptionally utilized by numerous architects. Furthermore, it has gained renewed relevance in architectural discourse, as exemplified by the book "Arcilla. Materia y Obra en Arquitectura." This is reflected throughout the history of Cerámica Santiago and its joint collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture and Art at UDD to promote the Brick Architecture Prize.

Designing and constructing homes is a complex process involving a variety of factors. Within this process, considering the various design elements is essential—including underlayments, ceilings, partitions, claddings, structures, and facades—alongside selecting the right materials for each. This choice must align with user preferences as well as indoor and outdoor conditions, prioritizing durability, energy efficiency, and aesthetics.

To simplify the design process, Volcan develops Volcanboard fiber cement building solutions for different construction elements. Available in a variety of thicknesses to adapt to various applications, these fiber cement boards stand out for their fire and moisture resistance, as well as their long-term durability and versatility. Below, we explore various applications of Volcanboard in residential design.

As part of an initiative by the ISAD School of Architecture and Design in Chihuahua, the Taller del Desierto (Desert Workshop) has been running for several years, fostering various projects to stimulate student learning. For this edition, a pavilion was built, conceived as an assembly of pieces with a theatrical narrative. This pavilion was created as a collaboration between ISAD and Teatro Bárbaro, a local independent cultural forum led by Luis Bizarro. Consequently, the pavilion was designed to serve as a traveling venue for performances created or adapted specifically for this space, which consists of pieces designed during the four-week summer workshop in 2023.